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Final Chance for 2017 PAC Contributions
December 31st is your last chance to contribute to IIPAC in 2017. To date, IIPAC has received just over $60,000 in personal contributions during 2017, but we need to do more to have a bigger impact! Please
click here
to contribute online today! These important funds help elect business-minded Senators and Representatives, who help advance a pro-business agenda for Iowa. ABI's PAC also supports pro-jobs candidates for state office such as Governor, Secretary of Agriculture and Auditor, among others. We need your help to amplify our voices and be effective advocates for Iowa businesses!
2018 Legislative Session Begins January 8
Get ready for the second session of the 87th General Assembly beginning Monday, January 8.
Click here
for a timeline of the 100-day session, including important legislative milestones like funnel dates that help winnow down the amount of "live" legislation as session progresses. Keep reading.
Prefiled Bills
Executive branch departments, boards and individual legislators can prefile legislation prior to the opening of the session. Bills that have been prefiled for the 2018 session include:
- Changes prohibiting texting while operating a commercial vehicle and establishing penalties, by the Department of Transportation
- A bill upping fees for the Department of Natural Resources' land recycling program for new sites from up to $7,500 to up to $25,000 per site
- Changes to the prescription monitoring program for controlled substances like opioids by the board of pharmacy, including requiring prescribers to report prescriptions of controlled substances and subjecting them to discipline for non-compliance with reporting requirements
During the last session, ABI registered on over 300 bills. For a list of all 2018 prefiled bills,
click here
.
Congressional Recess
Congress has officially gone on its end-of-the-year recess. Following the passage of a short-term spending bill to keep the government funded, members of Congress have headed back to their districts for their annual break. 2018 is set to be a busy year out of the gate as Congress looks to tackle many issues. Some of the issues include a long-term extension of the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which was extended for a few months via the spending bill; codifying Affordable Care Act insurance subsidies; dealing with DACA and immigration reform; an infrastructure package; and a disaster relief bill for states that have been hit hard by hurricanes and fires. 2018 is also an election year, which will play into the politics of how these issues are dealt with.
Upcoming Events -- Sign Up Now
- Legislative Briefing and Reception -- Almost 350 people have already signed up for the annual Legislative Reception. Join legislators, key executive department directors and guests, and hundreds of your fellow business peers to kick off the 2018 legislative session at the Iowa Tap Room in Des Moines on January 10. Register today!
- Environmental Committee Meeting -- Region VII Administrator Jim Gulliford will speak on January 11 at 10 a.m. at CIPCO in Des Moines. Register here!
- Business Day on the Hill -- Save the date, March 13, for ABI's Business Day on the Hill! More information to come.
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3 Questions to Create Valuable Analytics
Jason Greer
Higher Standard Consulting
At some point in your business, you feel like you're ready to start measuring yourself. Whether we call them output charts or analytics or metrics or KPIs, it doesn't matter. At first it feels easy; you pull a report into a spreadsheet and create a few charts with a few clicks of the mouse. You do this for the many reports you regularly create, and after a few hours, you have charts and data everywhere. This is what I call the shotgun approach--create charts and ask the value of the chart later.
There's a better way--a way that will save you time, money and ultimately create analytics that point you toward the best way to run your business. Here are the three questions to ask at the beginning of any project to create analytics for your organization.
Keep reading.
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Former ABI Chair Paul Gregoire Announces Retirement
Former ABI chair Paul Gregoire announced last week he will retire from Emerson-Fisher in March 2018. He joined the Marshalltown company in 2005 as the VP of global human resources. Before that he spent more than 19 years with Tyco in various HR roles. Congratulations, Paul, on an incredible career!
Arconic Employees Pack 525 Baskets for the Needy
Last week Arconic employees packed 525 baskets for the needy.
Employees raised nearly $15,000 for this year's food basket drive. This program is in its 67th year.
Read the Quad-City Times article.
WELLCOM to Host Two-day Leadership Mindset Workshop
WELLCOM will host "Thought Patterns for High Performance," a two-day leadership mindset workshop, on January 16-17 in Omaha. The workshop will provide attendees with an experiential understanding of how mindset impacts performance personally and as a leader.
Learn more and register. WELLCOM is a nonprofit dedicated to elevating workplace wellness and serves a network of hundreds of employers of all sizes throughout the Midwest.
ABI President Mike Ralston Nominated to INF Board
ABI President Mike Ralston has been nominated to the Iowa Newspaper Foundation board of directors. The board election will be held February 1. He previously served two terms on the board.
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